DIA Blog 005 - 7 Things In Japan That PISS ME OFF That NO ONE Will Tell You About by H8R

by H8R

Japan has been the place I've called home for over four years now. If I didn't like the country, I wouldn't have stayed here this long.

On the other hand, there are some things about Japan that really "grind my gears."

When it comes to choosing a country (or any place) to live in, you're always choosing what kind of problems you're willing to deal with. No place is perfect, but there are pros and cons depending on your lifestyle.

Japan is a very safe country and the people are (usually) very friendly.

After a few episodes, some of our listeners really wanted to know what I didn't like about living here. With this in mind, here are 7 things in Japan that PISS ME OFF that NO ONE will tell you about!

If you haven't checked out our latest episode, you can listen to it here!

1. Guilty by gaijin association

Don't get me wrong, there are a lot of great expats living in Japan. Then, there are the not so great ones.

Some people in Japan tend to lump all expats into one group.

We can sometimes be viewed as guys who came to Japan just to get a cushy job, drink beer, and pick up chicks.

Probably the worst part about this is that I have been refused service as some izakayas because someone I kicked it with drank too many beers in the place and burned the spot.

If you want to keep going back to a restaurant in Japan and you don't want it to close down, don't drink all of their beer!

2. People assuming you can't "Japan"

There is a bit of magic for Japanese people to meet expats in Japan. This reminds me of the psychology of magic shows where the audience is more inclined to believe in what they see because they want to see it. The same can be said with how Japanese people interact with expats.

They want to meet the "real" expats. The ones who just came from (insert name of a country here with people who have blonde hair and blue eyes), who are either skinny and dapper or super buff, who can't speak Japanese, and who can't use chopsticks (at least I got the super buff part down).

In other words, they want to meet the expats who can't "Japan."

People are often surprised by my Japanese ability (I have a degree in it, after all). I have also been told by people that they are surprised I can eat raw fish and that I like wasabi. They have also said that I use chopsticks better than most Japanese people (flattery I'm sure).

It might be the first time for them to meet a "magical gaijin" such as myself, but it's not my first time having these same conversations. While I do entertain them, it does get old for me.  

3. Being a second-class citizen because of tattoos

There are a lot of baffling rules in Japan regarding tattoos. Although they are becoming more popular among younger people in bigger cities, there are still a lot of places you may be refused entry if you have them. These include:

• bathhouses (onsen)
• gyms
• hotels with public bathrooms
• water parks
• beaches
• public pools

A person with tattoos could wear a rash guard or cover up with tape, but to me the fact that people with tattoos have to do this is what gets on my nerves.

My message for Japan on the subject is, "Good luck when the world comes in 2020!"

4. People being oblivious of their surroundings

One of the first things I remember my mom telling me as a kid besides, "No! You never hit me!" was, "Look where you're going!" Maybe this is something that really isn't emphasized in Japan.

Just last night when I was out for a run, a man was walking down the sidewalk with his umbrella out. Walking right in the middle of the sidewalk (so as to take up the entirety of it), he stopped dead in his tracks for no apparent reason. Using my ninja-like reflexes, I was able to shift to the side, duck under his umbrella, and keep on moving through without taking him out (do you see how nice I am?).

Japan is a very pedestrian society so this can really be a pain when trying to get around crowded places and people have their heads in their phones!

These places include supermarkets, train stations, entertainment districts, or festivals. I guess it's just part of the culture to bump around into people, but it's still something that I don't particularly like.

5. People being indirect

One of my Japanese teachers from when I studied in Chiba told me that in Japan being direct is considered to be rude. Since a lot of people want to keep good manners, they often will not be very direct when trying to tell you about a problem or give feedback.

This can be pretty frustrating when you first get to Japan because you're trying to learn how things are done and people won't really let you know.

They kind of have the attitude that "If you want to know what you did wrong, you have to figure it out for yourself."

It may make you not feel bad because they won't be coming down on you, but it can be a pain when you just want to learn new information and get things done quickly.

6. Paperwork for everything

My first image of Japan was that it was full of bustling metropolises that used state of the art technology in new and exciting ways. Although this is true in some cases, the opposite situation is often found.

If you go to sign up for something, you'll probably have to fill out paper forms. This includes opening a bank account, getting a phone, joining a gym, etc.

It's not that filling out a form is a big deal, but then they also want you to write neatly in ALL CAPS. If you make a mistake, sometimes you can cross it out using two lines and then initial it. Often times, you will have to start over with a clean form.

7. People wanting to touch you

This may be a problem that's unique to me, but I’m big so people want to grab my chest (it's all muscle, I swear). Personal space in Japan is quite different from what I was used to.

I know that people are going to do it, so I just want them to get it over with quickly.

To me, the thing that bothers me the most is that there is somewhat of a double standard. People are free to touch me because I'm "different," but what would happen if I did the same thing to them? It's called assault (and I'd probably be shipped back home faster than you could say "sayonara homie."

That's it!

Ah, I feel better after getting some of that out now. What do you think? Is there anything here you disagree with? What pisses you off about where you live? Let me know in the comments!